Hello everyone,
This month marks five years since I started book blogging! In January 2018 after I had set myself a Goodreads Challenge for the first time, I decided to repurpose my existing miscellaneous blog and focus primarily on books – which was the right decision for so many reasons.
In that time I have read over 250 books – more than I could have expected, discovered several genres that I had no idea I would love, and made a lot of really good friends.
There will be more posts to come, but I am starting with the ultimate list – the top 10 books I have read in the last five years. If narrowing down the list at the end of each year is tricky, then this is even harder!
The chances are you will have seen me gush about these books many times before, but I will not miss the opportunity to do so again here. Without further ado, here is the list in no particular order.
Mrs England by Stacey Halls
This book is beautifully written, full of atmosphere and mystery with intriguing characters. It had me asking all sorts of questions from start to finish, and I could hardly wait to find out what happened next. What made it so special was how I connected with it and the personal story behind the main character, alongside such a compelling plot.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
We have since had the two sequels and a (magnificent) mini prequel, but the first book in this series will always be my favourite. For me, this was just the perfect Young Adult thriller. It was absorbing from the first page to last; a brilliant mystery that brought twists, tension, and amazing characters. I fell in love with it and cannot praise it enough.
The Once And Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
I honestly did not want this book to end. It was magnificent, from the quality of the storytelling to the amazing cast of characters. Imagination was there in abundance and the detail second to none. Everything about it was so unbelievably captivating.
How To Be Brave by Louise Beech
This was supremely powerful, fantastical, and above all, beautifully written. It was good to begin with, but then just got better and better, and I was totally swept away by the extraordinary beauty of the story.
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This is one of the best books I have ever read, without a shadow of a doubt. It made me feel the fullest range of emotions, such was the extent to which I was immersed in the story of Kya. It contained a gripping mystery, poignant themes, and a spellbinding celebration of nature. A masterpiece. Last year’s film adaptation was not too bad either.
The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This was a brilliantly written book, and a splendid portrayal of the much hinted at romance between Achilles and Patroclus during the Trojan War. I loved almost everything about it and was totally immersed, with the writing just getting better and better as the story went on.
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
An absolute all-time favourite. While in essence a Romeo and Juliet retelling, it has a little bit of everything including a brilliant 1920s Shanghai setting. It is thrilling, intense, amazingly written with great characters. Just about everything I love in a book, Chloe Gong seems to deliver it.
With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo
I loved everything about this book. It is a lovely story of self-discovery that put a smile on my face. Emoni was an amazing protagonist and had such an authentic voice. After reading this, Elizabeth Acevedo confirmed her status as one of my absolute favourite authors, young adult or otherwise.
The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
I have never read another book quite like this one. From the sheer uniqueness of the concept to the near faultless execution of an exceptionally complex, labyrinthine plot, this was a truly extraordinary book. One of my favourite standalone books.
Daughter Of The Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
The most recent book on this list! Pretty much everything about it was just magnificent, from the beautiful, vivid writing to the captivating world-building. The plot was so often thrilling with some really intense moments that had me on the edge of my seat, and also contained a fascinating romance. Meanwhile, the main character Xingyin is one of my all-time favourite protagonists. This book blew me away.
Let’s Chat
What do you think of my list? Are these some of your favourite books? Let me know in the comments!
Also, feel free to ask me questions, as I am planning a Q&A post in February!
Happy reading 🙂
Happy 5 year blogging anniversary Stephen 💜 and reading 250+ books in that time is amazing!
I loved seeing your top reads! I have heard amazing things about Alix Harrow’s writing, I definitely need to check out her books at some point. I won’t say no to witches either!
I read The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle a couple years back and it was definitely one of the most unique books I have read as well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Sophie ❤️ Alix E. Harrow is an amazing author, would totally recommend her books! And I’m so glad you enjoyed The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations on your 5 year anniversary Stephen. It’s great that you were able to pick out a top ten from the past five years, I’m not sure that I could.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Janette! It was a very difficult list to whittle down to just 10.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congrats on 5 years of blogging! Hip hip hooray~ Here is to many more~
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!
LikeLike
Happy five years of blogging! That’s a huge accomplishment!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! 🎉
LikeLike
Happy 5 year blogging anniversary Stephen here’s to many more years to come. Also I’m proud of you for being able to pick out your top 10 for the past 5 years. I would never be able to do that. I haven’t read any of these yet but I have heard of them and would love to eventually read them.
My questions:
1.) How are you doing?
2.) What genre do you read the most?
3.) What’s a hobby of yours outside of books?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Misty! The list was quite hard to narrow down to just 10 lol. I hope you enjoy some of these books soon. And thanks for the questions, will be posting the answers soon 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t read any of these but Mrs. England does sound good! Here’s to the next 5 years of wonderful blogging!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Mrs England is a wonderful book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy 5 yrs of blogging, Stephen, here’s to many more yrs to come. Amazing list!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Yesha! 💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congrats on the milestone. More congratulations on being able to come up with a top 10 from that period (I can’t even do that over 1 year! 5 is astounding)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! It was quite difficult to get the list down to 10 haha. Also thank you for sharing some of my year-end posts, that was really kind 😊
LikeLike
Not kind at all–it makes the posts better when I have something good to link to. Purely selfish.
LikeLike
Happy Blog Anniversary Stephen 🎉 This is such a great list of books and I have so many of these on my TBR, I really need to get around to reading them!
I recently read The Song of Achilles and it has made its way to being one of all time favourite books ever! I love it so much and I really need to get around to reading These Violent Delights.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Mek! I hope you get to read and enjoy them soon. I’m so glad you loved The Song of Achilles!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy blogoversary 🎈📚👏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! ☺️
LikeLike
Oh my gosh 5 years is actually such a HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME??? Congrats on all of it and for sticking with blogging for so long AND ALSO THE 250+ BOOKS!!!!!! also I must READ ALL OF THESE?? I’ve only ever read a good girl’s guide to murder BUT AM OBSESSED. the mystery is phenomenal WHILE ALSO PUTTING THE CHATACTERS IN THE FOREFRONT and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read a mystery like that?? Definitely NEED TO read the test of the books on your list now obviously!!!!! THEY SOUND AMAZING.
Happy 5 years AND HERES QUESTIONS:
1. The first ever book you read in the beginning of your blogging journey??
2. Your favorite part of blogging??
3. The post you had THE MOST fun drafting in all of the 5 years?? (Doesn’t have to be the BEST post you’ve ever written JUST THE ONE THAT WAS THE MOST FUN FOR YOU)
4. A book character you could spend the rest of your life stuck on a desert island with??
LikeLike
Congratulations on 5 years!! 🙂 You have some great books on your list!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Jenn!
LikeLike